NYC, LA and SF will be hubs for electric vehicles, report says

A new report issued earlier this month predicts nearly 400,000 new plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) will be cruising American streets per year by 2017. Clean technology market research firm, Pike Research, says that three California cities, Chicago and New York City will lead the way in adoption of these electric vehicles over the next five years, and utility companies serving those markets need to be ready for that surge in demand.

“Electric vehicle adoption will follow markedly different patterns in various parts of the country,” senior analyst Dave Hurst said in a statement. Pike Research predicts the largest cities do not necessarily correlate to the most PEV sales. “Demographics, consumer attitudes, city and utility infrastructure, and manufacturer launch plans will all have an influence on the uptake of PEVs in different areas,” Hurst said.
While New York City and California cities such as LA, San Francisco and San Diego dominate the top markets for PEVs, other large population centers such as Dallas, Philadelphia, Houston, Miami, Atlanta, and Washington DC are not likely to see as dramatic increases.

As previously reported by CivSource several states are moving forward with public-private partnerships to develop the needed infrastructure for electric vehicles. One such program underway in Washington state would make 276 miles of Interstate 5 the nation’s first “electric highway.” Concerted efforts in Oregon and California would join Washington in a tri-state initiative to promote the use of cleaner fuels in the region.

The report continued by underscoring that the PEV market in the United States “will require significant preparation by industry players who are working on setting up recharging station networks, developing product and production plans, and allocating precious marketing resources.”

Utilities such as Southern California Edison, Pacific Gas & Electric, Consolidated Edison, and Exelon will have the largest numbers of electric vehicle users, according to Pike estimates.

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